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Norfolk & Region

Councillor plans move to Collingwood area

A second member of Norfolk council has indicated that he does not intend to defend his seat in the 2018 municipal election.

Windham Coun. Jim Oliver, 67, confirmed Wednesday that he will wrap up his municipal involvement in Norfolk County next fall.

Once the new council is situated, Oliver and his wife Annie will focus on their grandchildren and their new life in the Collingwood area.

“That’s correct,” Oliver said. “I love the job, but I’ve been doing this for 12 years and it’s time to move on. It’s time for new people and new ideas.”

Oliver defeated incumbent councillor Dean Morrison for the right to represent Ward 4 in the 2006 municipal election. At that time, Oliver had recently retired as the inaugural general manager of the Long Point Region Conservation Authority, a position he accepted in 1980.

In anticipation of the move to Grey County, Oliver and his wife have sold their home on Charlotteville East Quarter Line Road and moved into Simcoe. The couple look forward to being near their children and spending more time with their grandchildren.

“We have to make these decisions eventually,” Oliver said.

Given his many years as the day-to-day manager of the LPRCA, Oliver didn’t have much of a learning curve when he took his place around the council table.

He brought strong communication skills to the job and an understanding of how municipal agencies interact with Queen’s Park through extensive dealings with the Ministry of Natural Resources and other provincial departments.

During his tenure, Oliver has been an outspoken advocate for energy conservation and clean, renewable electricity. He has also been a fixture for the past few years on Norfolk’s Police Services Board.

Oliver is the second veteran councillor to call it a day in the run-up to next fall’s election.

Ward 6 Coun. John Wells has represented Port Dover and surrounding area since the inception of the new Norfolk in 2001. Wells announced earlier this year that he will not seek re-election.

Wells has since held an open-house seminar in Port Dover to offer advice and guidance to anyone who is thinking of offering themselves as his replacement.